The Crossing

Talk about a heavy read. I never come out of a Cormac McCarthy book the same that I went in. Violent, depressing, awe inspiring, simple, deep, and dark are just some of the key adjectives that can be used to describe this deeply compelling (and at times disturbing) book. Sixteen year old Billy Parham captures a wolf that has been terrorizing his family's ranch. After weeks of trying to capture her he decides that he can't just kill such a magnificent creature (who happens to be pregnant). He brings her from her trap and on a whim decides to take her down to the mountains of Mexico. Armed with only his daddy's shotgun, the clothes on his back, his trusty horse, and the captured she wolf he embarks on a long life altering journey across the wild and often violent land of Mexico. For every thief he encounters, he is touched by at least three giving folks; many giving what little they own to the young American. A sweeping western that readers won't soon forget about (although I wish I could forget about the violence to animals -there is too damn much of it).

The North Water

If Cormac McCarthy, The Revenant, and Moby Dick had a love child it would most definitely be this book. Set in the 18th century this book follows Henry Drax, evil as the day as long, and Patrick Sumner, an opiate addicted ex-army surgeon, as they set off on a waling mission from England. Both have secrets to hide and obstacles to overcome, little do they know that this whaling voyage is going to take a dark brutal turn. Filled with bloody graphic descriptions of sodomy, harpooning, seal slaughter, and mutiny, this is not a tale for the queasy or light hearted. Everything that can go wrong does and it's a tale of survival and wits. Meticulously researched this book sucks you into a darker past and doesn't loosen its grip until the end. Impossible to put down this gritty, fast paced, historical drama is a must read for fans of Cormac McCarthy, Moby Dick, and historical survival dramas.

All the Pretty Horses

This is my second time reading this McCarthy book and I may have enjoyed it even more on the second go around. I know I definitely liked it more than I did the first one Cormac McCarthy book I ever read (Blood Meridian). Written in his signature southern, rustic drawl the story follows a young rancher and his friend who have nothing to lose.

The two teens leave Texas with nothing but their horses and dreams of a quiet existence in the wild Mexican frontier. On the way they encounter another young man who ends up tampering with their dreams of an idyllic future. What can their friendship withstand? Trials, guilt, love?

This is a must read for fans of westerns, literary novels, and Cormac McCarthy.

All the Pretty Horses

This is my second Cormac McCarthy book and I liked it much more than I did the first one (Blood Meridian). Written in his signature southern, rustic drawl the story follows a young rancher and his friend who have nothing to lose.

The two teens leave Texas with nothing but their horses and dreams of a quiet existence in the wild Mexican frontier. On the way they encounter another young man who ends up tampering with their dreams of an idyllic future. What can their friendship withstand? Trials, guilt, love?

Narrated by Brad Pitt, I was mostly pleased, but wished he would have spoken a little louder. He was very soft spoken, and at times sounded dispassionate. I have yet to see the movie adaptation.

This is a must read for fans of westerns, literary novels, and Cormac McCarthy.

Blood Meridian

Holy cannolli, this was definitely one of the hardest books I've read in a while. Not only because it was a difficult writing style but because it was so graphic and gut wrenching.

This story follows the adventures of "the kid" and "the judge" as they wreak havoc across Mexico and the American border. It's loosely based off historical fact which makes it all the more disturbing. When the fourteen year old kid falls in with the judge and a group of other ruthless men he finds out firsthand what the price of Indian scalps are worth. The story mainly takes place over a year and chronicles the massacres, debauchery, and savagery that this band of men conflict on many innocent and other savage men. The writing style is so graphic and detailed that you feel as if you're with them in this mid-nineteenth horror story.

It's a rough read but I can easily understand why it's been chosen as one of the top one hundred books of all time. McCarthy vividly brings to life one of the most ruthless and captivating stories of all time.